Renewable energy is powering forward in the U.K., according to the 2012 update to the Renewable Energy Roadmap, which was recently released by Energy Secretary Edward Davey.

Progress made from July 2011 to July 2012 includes a 27% increase in overall renewable electricity generated; a 40% increase over the same period in renewable electricity capacity, with more than 10% of all electricity generated now coming from renewables; and a 60% increase in offshore wind energy capacity, to 2.5 GW.

According to Davey, the roadmap shows that the U.K. is on track to meeting its first interim target on the way to the ambitious European goal to source 15% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.

"Right now, getting new infrastructure investment into the economy is crucial to driving growth and supporting jobs across the country," Davey says. "I am determined that we get ahead in the global race on renewables and build on the big-money investments we've seen this year."

The roadmap also shows that in the last year, the costs of many renewable energy technologies have fallen.